Hard Use Folder?

Lenny

Lenny

Gold Member
Joined
Oct 15, 1998
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2,270
Yep, I'm looking for one.
Less than 4" blade, less than $150.
What can you recommend?
Thanks
 
How hard are you looking to use it? Looking for a beater? Rat 1 is a good inexpensive option. Triad locking folders from cold steel are another option. Spyderco manix.
 
anthonycastorena2014 said:
Hands down Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter. If you legitimately want or need hard use this is the way to go. Pretty much anything with the triad lock, the UH just so happens to be my favorite model. I have used it on everything from tape to wild boar.
Click to expand...

Bought one of these myself a few months ago and immediately took it to the job site to go to work. Probably one of the best working knives I have ever owned. Plenty of handle for me to hold on to, comfortable when working with gloves, and of course the bomb proof locking system. And there are even a few left out there in the great Carpenter steel. Best of all... they are available for about $110. I like this knife so much I just might buy another one.

Robert
 
Love my Lionsteel SR2a for heavy folder tasks.
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Lots of choices in that range of specs. Some of my favorites that fit that description are:

Cold Steel Recon 1
Kizer GTi
Pohl Force Bravo Series
Buck/TOPS CSAR-T
 
How much less than $150? Because the Zero Tolerance 0350 is right at that price and is a phenomenal knife.
 
anthonycastorena2014 said:
Hands down Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter. If you legitimately want or need hard use this is the way to go. Pretty much anything with the triad lock, the UH just so happens to be my favorite model. I have used it on everything from tape to wild boar.
Click to expand...

This is what immediately came to my mind too. Cold Steel sort of has the "affordable tank of a knife" market cornered. The UH would be my choice.
 
What do you mean by hard use?
Prying? (I hope not). Batoning ? (I hope not). Beating on a knife blade with a hammer? I guess I am a bit weird, but no matter what, for some jobs are just better fixed blade knife (even Mora has no lock and no pivot, you get what I mean).

But Cold Steels are durable, so is PM2, Manix 2 and many others.
 
Standard Buck 110.
If you want upgraded steel, the Buck Custom Shop offers S30V.
A couple dealers like SK Blades and Copper and Clad have the 110 with, among other steels, CPM-154 (SK Blades) and 5160 (C&C).
I have a SK Blades 'Gentelman' 110 on order.
CPM-154 blade, Nickle Silver bolsters and liners, with black G10 covers.
'The Fox' is the same, but has orange G10.
Both are under $100
 
afishhunter said:
Standard Buck 110.
Click to expand...

I'm carrying my Aluminum & Micarta 110 from Copper and Clad and while it has beaten out my Opinel #9 for EDC this past year, and while I've owned a 110 since the 70s and have logged more time with them than any other knife, I wouldn't call them a good "hard use" knife.

Repeated hard cuts can wear down the lock bars or damage the pivot pins, leading to lock rock. Hard prying cuts can create blade wobble.

This isn't my video but it's consistent with my experience with the Opinel. I prefer the #9 or #10.
 
I personally am not a big CS fan but I will admit they are a contender at least while the wish list is a little vague or open. If you could clarify what you mean when you say hard use that might help say if there are some other options. What size limits do you have besides under 4" is weight a concern?
 
Lots of good suggestions in here so far that have already hit the nail on the head. I’m coming in late to the party to redundantly recommend the Cold Steel American Lawman. One might also look at the AK47 and Code 4. I would normally just said the Recon 1, but... that’s a 4” blade.

Cold Steel makes excellent knives for people that anticipate just absolutely beating the hell out of their cutting tools. They’re almost never high-efficiency cutting tools like Spyderco knives, but I also wouldn’t feel safe stabbing a car hood or cutting through a meat boot (as one often does in daily life) with a Paramilitary 2.
 
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